PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has quashed and set aside the order of the Caste Scrutiny Committee that had validated the OBC caste certificate issued to St Cruz panch Lawrence Rodrigues.
The Division Bench has remanded the matter back to the Caste Scrutiny Committee for fresh adjudication on the issue of validation of the Certificate issued to Rodrigues. The committee has been asked to dispose the matter within two months.
The Court was hearing a petition filed by Ganesh Chodankar and Inacio Pereira that had challenged the Committee’s order validating the caste certificate of Rodrigues, who according to the petitioners had fraudulently obtained the certificate to contest elections from a reserved ward. Police had also filed an FIR against Rodrigues in the matter.
“Once, any issue is raised by the Petitioners, the minimum that is expected of a quasi-judicial authority is that it considers and deals with such issue. In the present case, the issue has not been dealt with by the Caste Scrutiny Committee. The documents produced by the petitioner have not at all been dealt with by the Committee. On this short ground, the impugned Judgment and Order dated 10.09.1998 made by the Caste Scrutiny Committee is hereby quashed and set aside,” the judgement passed on October 16 reads.
“The matter is remanded to the Caste Scrutiny Committee for fresh adjudication on the issue of validation of the Certificate issued to the said Lawrence,” court said.
The parties are directed to remain present before the Committee on October 25 at 2.30 pm.
